Chap 1: The Reunion
by Ktwhend1aol.com
Summary: Shameless set right now & in the future. What if Karen came back?
1. Chapter 1

It was winter time in the south side of Chicago and Lip was late to work once again. He's woken up by a furious Fiona on the other line of his phone "Where the hell are you!? You were suppose to be here half an hour ago. You know you make me look bad since everyone knows you're my brother right?" This working with family thing was not working out. "Yeah yeah yeah whatever I'll be there soon" Lip blabbered as he jumps out of bed.

On his way to work, Lip thinks about how shitty this year has been in every aspect of his life. His internship that was suppose to make him a millionaire turned out to be a bust, he couldn't make it work with Sierra or Tammie, and his family's still a pain in the ass. As late as he is, Lip knows he won't be able to survive his shift without some caffeine and he's not about to drink the shitty turd water Patsy's Pies calls coffee. That morning he decides to make a turn into a local cafe instead of grabbing his typical redbull at the gas station. (If he was gonna be late, might as well make it worth it right?) Luckily the cafe is fairly empty with only one worker, a petite blonde who was faced away making an espresso for the only other person there. He always had a weakness for blondes. "Here's your espresso sir" the girl says in a chipper tone. Lip is stunned when he finally sees the girl's face. He couldn't believe it. It couldn't be. She looks virtually the same as when he last saw her- golden blonde locks, piercing blue eyes, and soft pale skin. "Hi. What can I get ya?" she says in the same chipper tone. Lip is so overwhelmed he can't seem to get any words out of his mouth. "Hellooo? Sir?" Karen is starting to turn pink from the awkward silence and intense stare Lip is giving her. "Karen?" Lip blurted out. "Yeah?... I'm sorry do I know you?"

Duh, how could he have forgotten that she probably wouldn't remember him after her accident. "Uh I'm sorry. My name's Lip. We kinda.. uh.. knew each other from before.." "Oh shit, mom told me this might happen when we moved back" Karen sighs in relief. "Sorry I didn't recognize you. I don't know if you know but I was hit by a car a couple years ago and lost a lot of my old memories. What was your name again?" "Uh Lip" Lip replies in a sheepish tone. "Well its nice to see you. I'm glad I ran into someone from the past"

As Karen is making Lip's coffee, she asks if they were close before her accident. "Uh.. yeah, we were pretty close" Lip says with a chuckle. "I wish I could remember" Karen says with a hint of sadness. On one hand, Lip is sad that every memory they ever had together is gone forever but on the other hand, he's glad she won't have to recount all the painful stuff that happened in the past. "Hey can we talk and hang out sometime? What time do you get off today? Lip asks nervously. "Um.. yeah sure. I get off at 5 today" Karen is shocked. Why would anyone want to hang out with the crazy girl who couldn't remember anything from her past? She's still unsure about the nature of their relationship but she has a million and one questions for Lip. "I get off at 7. Can you meet me at Patsy's Pies then?" Lip asks hurriedly. "Uh yeah sure thing" Karen responded. "Great, I'll see you then" Lip says as he rushes out the door.

Lip really hopes Karen will remember their future date later that day. He still can't believe he ran into her- someone he had thought he would never see again. Seeing Karen is bringing up a bunch of old feelings he thought he would never feel again. He decides against telling his family about his encounter with Karen. He knows it would only bring up more unneeded drama...


	2. Chapter 2

Karen's running late once again. Her room looks like a tornado went through it and she can't seem to find anything she's looking for. "Ughhhhh, god! I wish my room magically cleaned itself". She's getting ready for Lip's birthday party at the local bar downtown. She's already nervous as hell but knowing that his whole family was going to be there made her want to die inside. After an hour of getting ready, she finally decides on an outfit- a sun dress, nude heels, and a denim jacket over top. She spent what seemed like forever on her hair and makeup but she's finally happy with the outcome. "Please please be careful honey. Don't drink anything that's been out of your hand and make sure you call me when you get there. I need to know you're safe or I'm going to call the police" Sheila tells Karen as she's walking out the door. "Yes I know mom. I really have to go now" Karen replies as she swiftly leaves the house.

Lip already warned his whole family about Karen days before his bday. "You guys better not give her any shit. She's changed okay? We've been hanging out for some time now so you just gotta trust me" Lip warns his family. "Pshhh yeah sure Lip. Don't come back to us when she turns into a psycho bitch again" Fiona says condescendingly. Ian chips in "Yeah she was crazzzyyyy. Like, serial killer crazy". Lip shrugs his head- he knows they'll never know the real Karen like he does. He had been preparing for the backlash from the very beginning. He knew this would happen when he started bringing her into his life again.

Lip usually didn't enjoy big gatherings, especially when he was the center of attention but he decided to make an exception for his 25th birthday. It was a bar anyways- how bad could it be? Sierra is one of the first people to arrive at the bar and Lip suddenly feels a strong urge to drink. As more and more people arrive, Lip's excitement/anxiety leads him to down 6 shots in a row. As if the night couldn't get anymore awkward, Tammi and Karen arrive shortly after. 3 ex flings in one bar- why did Lip think this was a good idea again?

Karen has a million thoughts running through her head as she walks towards the bar. She had not had any alcohol since her accident a couple years ago and she was very worried about how Lip's family would perceive her. Right when she walks inside, a drunk Fiona is there to greet her. "HEYYYY! IT'S KAREN EVERYBODY! SHE'S ALIVE!" Fiona screams. Everyone turns to stare at her. Karen's face turns bright tomato red. Was it too early to leave? "Hey let's talk" Fiona says to Karen as she's heads to the bathroom. Right when they get inside, Karen is interrogated by Fiona "What do you think you're doing? What do you want from my brother?". "Uhhhhh.. we're just friends. I'm just here to celebrate his birthday I promise" Karen says nervously. Fiona stares at her intently for a minute and then bursts out laughing, "Oh my god you look so nervous like a deer in headlights hahahahaha. You know I'm just playing with you!". "Oh yeah.. ha... ha... ha...ha..." Karen is so nervous at this point she regrets not staying at home. "BUT.. lets make one thing clear. If you ever hurt my brother or come for my family again, I will end you... and actually end you this time" Fiona says with a stern face. Karen is shocked- she knew meeting his family would be harsh but she didn't know they straight up HATED her. She felt a VERY strong urge to drink at this point. "Come on, lets go dance!" Fiona says as she grabs Karen's hands and leads her to the dance floor.

After a couple turns on the dance floor with Fiona, Karen decides to run to the bar. She suddenly feels a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, I've been looking for you". She turns around and sees a tipsy Lip. The smell of alcohol is almost unbearable when she goes in for a hug. "Happy birthday! I see you're having fun" Karen says. "Eh I'm alright. I usually hate this shit". Karen motions for Lip to sit next to her. She buys a cocktail the bartender recommended and they cheers. "Here's to a quarter century you old fart" Karen teases. "Psh whatever.. you're next" Lip says grudgingly.

It was karaoke night at the bar. After a couple drinks, Karen is feeling particularly brave. She decides to run on stage and sing one of her favorite classic songs "At Last" by Etta James. Singing had been one of her favorite hobbies during her recovery. She even learned to play the guitar. Everyone suddenly stopped to watch as soon as Karen started singing. Her voice was so soulful and soothing. Lip was in awe of her talent, he knew she was interested in music but he never knew she was this good. When she finishes, she gets a standing ovation from almost everyone in the room.

As the night goes on, Karen notices Lip has disappeared and decides to go find him. She sees him outside with a bottle of Jack. "Why are you out here alone" she asks. "It's getting a little too crowded" he replies. She plops down next to him, grabs the bottle of Jack from his hand and takes a sip. Lip is mesmerized by her face. She was way more beautiful than he remembered. "You look amazing tonight" he says with a slurred speech. Karen blushes. Lip goes in for a kiss. They kiss for only a second before Karen pulls away. As much as she wanted their kiss to last, she knew it wasn't a good idea. "You're drunk" she replies. "I'm fiineeeeee" he says defensively. "Why did you even come back Karen? You can't just leave and then come back whenever you want". Karen couldn't believe what she was hearing. "I didn't ask for my accident to happen. I had to leave, I had no choice!" It seemed like her only friend here didn't even want her back. Saying she was hurt was an understatement "Happy birthday Lip. I hope you had a good one" Karen says as she walks away. "Hold on. I didn't mean it!" Lip yells. It's too late though, Karen's already back inside the bar getting ready to leave.

Lip knew he was going to regret everything the next morning. He didn't know how he was going to make it up this time...


	3. Chapter 3

Karen's running late once again. Her room looks like a tornado went through it and she can't seem to find anything she's looking for. "Ughhhhh, god! I wish my room magically cleaned itself". She's getting ready for Lip's birthday party at the local bar downtown. She's already nervous as hell but knowing that his whole family was going to be there made her want to die inside. After an hour of getting ready, she finally decides on an outfit- a sun dress, nude heels, and a denim jacket over top. She spent what seemed like forever on her hair and makeup but she's finally happy with the outcome. "Please please be careful honey. Don't drink anything that's been out of your hand and make sure you call me when you get there. I need to know you're safe or I'm going to call the police" Sheila tells Karen as she's walking out the door. "Yes I know mom. I really have to go now" Karen replies as she swiftly leaves the house.

Lip already warned his whole family about Karen days before his bday. "You guys better not give her any shit. She's changed okay? We've been hanging out for some time now so you just gotta trust me" Lip warns his family. "Pshhh yeah sure Lip. Don't come back to us when she turns into a psycho bitch again" Fiona says condescendingly. Ian chips in "Yeah she was crazzzyyyy. Like, serial killer crazy". Lip shrugs his head- he knows they'll never know the real Karen like he does. He had been preparing for the backlash from the very beginning. He knew this would happen when he started bringing her into his life again.

Lip usually didn't enjoy big gatherings, especially when he was the center of attention but he decided to make an exception for his 25th birthday. It was a bar anyways- how bad could it be? Sierra is one of the first people to arrive at the bar and Lip suddenly feels a strong urge to drink. As more and more people arrive, Lip's excitement/anxiety leads him to down 6 shots in a row. As if the night couldn't get anymore awkward, Tammi and Karen arrive shortly after. 3 ex flings in one bar- why did Lip think this was a good idea again?

Karen has a million thoughts running through her head as she walks towards the bar. She had not had any alcohol since her accident a couple years ago and she was very worried about how Lip's family would perceive her. Right when she walks inside, a drunk Fiona is there to greet her. "HEYYYY! IT'S KAREN EVERYBODY! SHE'S ALIVE!" Fiona screams. Everyone turns to stare at her. Karen's face turns bright tomato red. Was it too early to leave? "Hey let's talk" Fiona says to Karen as she's heads to the bathroom. Right when they get inside, Karen is interrogated by Fiona "What do you think you're doing? What do you want from my brother?". "Uhhhhh.. we're just friends. I'm just here to celebrate his birthday I promise" Karen says nervously. Fiona stares at her intently for a minute and then bursts out laughing, "Oh my god you look so nervous like a deer in headlights hahahahaha. You know I'm just playing with you!". "Oh yeah.. ha... ha... ha...ha..." Karen is so nervous at this point she regrets not staying at home. "BUT.. lets make one thing clear. If you ever hurt my brother or come for my family again, I will end you... and actually end you this time" Fiona says with a stern face. Karen is shocked- she knew meeting his family would be harsh but she didn't know they straight up HATED her. She felt a VERY strong urge to drink at this point. "Come on, lets go dance!" Fiona says as she grabs Karen's hands and leads her to the dance floor.

After a couple turns on the dance floor with Fiona, Karen decides to run to the bar. She suddenly feels a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, I've been looking for you". She turns around and sees a tipsy Lip. The smell of alcohol is almost unbearable when she goes in for a hug. "Happy birthday! I see you're having fun" Karen says. "Eh I'm alright. I usually hate this shit". Karen motions for Lip to sit next to her. She buys a cocktail the bartender recommended and they cheers. "Here's to a quarter century you old fart" Karen teases. "Psh whatever.. you're next" Lip says grudgingly.

It was karaoke night at the bar. After a couple drinks, Karen is feeling particularly brave. She decides to run on stage and sing one of her favorite Hozier's "Someone New. Singing had been one of her favorite hobbies during her recovery. She even learned to play the guitar. Everyone suddenly stops to watch as soon as Karen starts singing. Her voice is so soulful and soothing. Lip is in awe of her talent, he knew she was interested in music but he never knew she was this good. When she's done, she gets a standing ovation from almost everyone in the room.

As the night goes on, Karen notices Lip has disappeared and decides to go find him. She sees him outside with a bottle of Jack. "Why are you out here alone" she asks. "It's getting a little too crowded" he replies. She plops down next to him, grabs the bottle of Jack from his hand and takes a sip. Lip is mesmerized by her face. She was way more beautiful than he remembered. "You look amazing tonight" he says with a slurred speech. Karen blushes. Lip goes in for a kiss. They kiss for only a second before Karen pulls away. As much as she wanted their kiss to last, she knew it wasn't a good idea. "You're drunk" she replies. "I'm fiineeeeee" he says defensively. "Why did you even come back Karen? You can't just leave and then come back whenever you want". Karen couldn't believe what she was hearing. "I didn't ask for my accident to happen. I had to leave, I had no choice!" It seemed like her only friend here didn't even want her back. Saying she was hurt was an understatement "Happy birthday Lip. I hope you had a good one" Karen says as she walks away. "Hold on. I didn't mean it!" Lip yells. It's too late though, Karen's already back inside the bar getting ready to leave.

Lip knew he was going to regret everything the next morning. He didn't know how he was going to make it up this time...


End file.
